What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “Duncanville”? I’ll bet it’s not “Adorable monthly farmer’s market,” or “Super cute downtown.” Few realize the treasure in this community, which is why we’re almost certain that our Tuesday Two Hundred will catch loads of interest and offers once we tell you about it.
On Tuesday night, the Greater Dallas Planning Council honored North Texas developer Monte Anderson with its inaugural Urban Pioneer Award at the Urban Design Awards.
Anderson is the president of Options Real Estate, a multi-service real estate company that concentrates its work in southern Dallas and Ellis counties, specializing in creating sustainable neighborhoods that invite “gentlefication,” as opposed to gentrification.
Here’s a great working definition of “gentlefication”:
Moving into a neighborhood in an effort to reduce crime, create harmony, and build community. As opposed to “gentrification,” which changes neighborhoods by forcing out low-income residents with high-income folks seeking the next hip thing. Gentlefication helps long-term residents take back their neighborhoods, stabilize property values, and build safe spaces for their children and grandchildren.
“The award means a lot because it means people are staring to recognize that incremental development, or ‘microsurgery’, not big silver bullet deals, works in our southern Dallas neighborhoods,” he said. “My approach is to come in and get other small developers and entrepreneurs to come in very early and be a part of the change. These are the people who make it cool, like artists and restaurateurs, and they [usually] end up not owning anything and getting pushed out in the end.” (more…)
Neither Carlita or Kwame Kilpatrick are smiling now, that’s for sure. Kwame is still behind bars following a very ugly and public sexting scandal, and now his wife, Carlita, is having some tough luck of her own as neighbors of her 5,000-square-foot rental in Grand Prairie said that the Detroit native moved out overnight.
Carlita was let go from her job in Duncanville earlier this month according to a story from The Detroit News. So it stands to reason that she probably couldn’t afford the $2,600 a month rent for 3012 Pamplona. From what neighbors said, Carlita probably left in a hurry, ditching several family possessions on the curb right before trash day.
“A lot of stuff was out on the curb for trash day — stuff that people wouldn’t throw — like a computer desk,” neighbor Malinda Carter said.
The family kept to themselves in the five-bedroom, four-bathroom house, Carter said, adding she never saw Detroit’s former first lady or her three children outside and neighbors had to keep up the landscaping. She said she saw more news crews than signs of life in the home.
“Neighbors cut the grass because it was getting too long,” Carter said. “Flower beds were out of control and it looked like there was no one in there.
“I never saw a female or any man out there.”
Real estate agent Joe Livingston said the Kilpatricks did an “average” job keeping up the home while he attempted to sell it in May and June. There were no offers and another agent is now trying to lease the house, said Livingston, adding he doesn’t know why the family left.
Carlita should consider heading back north to Detroit. With a situation as tough as hers, I am sure the more affordable housing in the area would definitely help cope.
